COLTON – At least one city councilman believes residents’ safety wouldn’t be jeopardized if some police officers’ hours are reduced to free up enough money to reopen a city library.

Based on public comments at this week’s City Council meeting, Councilman Richard DeLaRosa says the council must find a way to free up enough money to bring library service back to the city.

“If this means reduced hours in an officer’s daily work, then that’s what we’re going to have to do,” DeLaRosa said. “By no means do I mean taking some officers off the street. But we can shift some manpower and transfer that savings to the libraries.”

Council members this week received an overwhelming response from the public, demanding that some level of library service be restored.

Last week, interim City Manager Bob Miller announced the city’s two libraries and a homework assistance center would be closed, and nearly 60 employees would be laid off to deal with a $5million projected budget deficit.

The moves will save about $3.5 million through the June 30 close of the 2009-10 fiscal year, Mayor Kelly Chastain said. More layoffs and organizational changes will be needed to close the remaining $1.5million gap, she said.

In a telephone interview Wednesday, DeLaRosa said the council must respond to the public’s demand, and it’s now tasked with meeting with city staff to develop a strategy to restore library service.

He believes police administration can develop a schedule that would cut officer work days by at least one hour while still maintaining the proper level of police services.

Detective Jack Morenburg, a representative of the Colton Police Officers Association, said the union is in concession negotiations with the city. If officers were asked to accept a reduced workday, that would likely have to be approved by the union, Morenburg said.

“We’re working and will continue to work to be as much help as we can in this situation,” Morenburg said.

The city hasn’t given the union a deadline for when a concession offer would need to be submitted, Morenburg said.

“(The city) wanted something by Tuesday, but I haven’t taken that as a deadline,” he said.

DeLaRosa said the council needs to set a deadline in order to give staff the proper direction to deal with the fiscal crisis. He said he sent Miller an e-mail Wednesday asking him to set a deadline of Nov. 24 for any bargaining groups that haven’t presented concession proposals.

“That way, the City Council knows where we stand as far as committing to the employees, as well as opening a library,” DeLaRosa said.

Tom Ramsey, who heads the union representing the city’s general employees, has said his members will agree to a 10percent pay cut, but only if all other bargaining groups paid by the general fund also agree to the same figure.

Doug Blinkinsop, who represents the city’s fire union, said his members have agreed to a 7.4percent pay cut. Earlier this fiscal year, the fire union also agreed to a 2.6percent pay cut and delayed a 6.5percent raise until July 1, 2011.

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